QUETTA: A 35-year-old married woman killed herself after poisoning her four daughters in the Hazara Town area of Quetta on Sunday.

Officials said the woman, Fatima, had been married for 12 years and had four daughters. Her husband, who was unemployed and a drug addict, constantly demanded money from her and when she refused, he would subject Fatima and their daughters to physical abuse.

According to police officials, her brother lives abroad and used to send remittances to support their domestic expenses. The other day, she received some money from her brother, which her husband attempted to snatch in a bid to buy drugs. “[The husband] severely beat his wife and daughters when she refused to give him money,” the police said.

The officials said she managed to obtain some poison, which she gave to her four daughters in a soft drink, and also consumed herself resulting in their deaths. Her husband was not home at that time.

Police later shifted them to Bolan Medical College Hospital, where doctors confirmed their deaths.

Published in Dawn, October 3rd, 2023